Portrait Photo

I don't know if you want to accomplish this in camera or post production but part of the solution (wide aperture) can also become part of the problem (loss in details as a result of narrow depth of field).

Portrait photographers (myself included) know that "the eyes have it". That means, without the crisp detail in the eyes, the image looses some of it's pop and appeal.

The problem with using a very wide aperture is that while softening the skin in that area before the eyes, you also loose detail in the hair behind them. If you are using a halo light, this effect can be desirable.

If you'd like to do this in post production, it's really very easy and I can assure you, your family will love the effect. If you have Photoshop bring the original in and duplicate it. Take the duplicate, change the mode to grayscale. While it is still in that mode, put a diffuse glow on it then revert it back to RGB (the same mode as your original).

Copy the dupe and paste it over your original. Using the Layers function of your windows view, you can increase opacity until the colors of the base image come through... getting something like this:

http://s467.photobucket.com/albums/rr34/GAlanFink/Model%20Shoots/?action=view&current=Jenna1.jpg

The other way is to post produce by using smart blur but I personally like the diffuse glow (and if you want to bring up highlights... you erase the areas you want to sharpen to original clarity.

Hope this helps.

Great Camera btw... even if it isn't a Nikon (-;